Razor sharpener



Patented Apr. 20, 192.6.

'UhlliiED ST'E@ realise' lDi-lTENT THCE.

RAZOR antenna.

Application filed January 9, 1924:. Serial No. 685,143.

To all fro/tom may concern.'

lle it known that l, 'WILLIAM llt. GRAVES, a citizen of the United States, residing at Brockton, in the county of Plymouth anc State of ll'iassachasetts, have invented new and useful Improv-ments in Razor Sharpeners, of which the following` is especification.

This invention relates to razor Sharpener usually called a strop, and including an elon- Iated flexible strip, adapted at one end to be hung' on a Hired support, such as a wall hook, and at the other end to be grasped by one hand of the user and controlled while a razor is applied to one side of the strip by the other hand, the.strip beine' of leather, or other non-metallic material, which is inert, or has little or no resilience, and a ribbonlike body of thin resilient sheet metal, such as sheet steel, provided with acoating of a relatively soft metal, such as silver or nickel, intimately united with. the ribbon, and constituting a frictional face adapted to impart a satisfactory edge to a razor moved on said face. either lwith the edge forward, as in honing, or with the edeje following, as in stropping. A ribbon thus characterized is disclosed by my Patent No. 1,/i43,259, dated January 23, 1923.

The present invention is embodied in the combination with a resilient sheet metal ribbon, or ribbon-like body. characterized as above stated, and adapted for razor honing and stropping', of a flexible non-metallic holding* strip, adapted to be used like an ordinary strop, and as a holder or backing for the metal ribbon, the holding strip and the ribbon constituting a sharpener presenting' a metallic side, adapted for both stropping; and honing, and a non-metallic side adapted to finish the edge imparted by the metallic side, and improved means for detachablv securingthe ribbon to the holding strip. rlfhe invention is also embodied in an improved form of the edges of the hold ing strip, whereby liability of cutting' the same is prevented.

Of the accompanying' drawings forming a part of this specification,-

Figure 1 is a side view of a. razor sharpener embodying the invention.

Figure 2 is an edge view of the same.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the metal ribbon.

Figure l is a fragmentary section, much enlarged, on line 4--4 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a perspective View, showing' the metal ribbon coiled in a cylindrical holder.

Figure 6 is a section on line 6 6 of Figure 1.

rEhe same reference characters indicate the same parts in all of the figures.

My improved Sharpener comprises an oblong strip or ribbon 12, of thin resilient sheet metal, which is harder than either of the surfacing' .metals hereinafter mentioned,y and is preferably 'tempered sheet steel, of about the thickness of ordinary letter paper. intimately united with the ribbon 12 is a 'coating 13, preferably covering; both sides of thew ribbon, as shown by Figure el, and composed of a relatively soft metal, having a frictional surface to which the side of a razor blade tends to cling,` when being moved thereover, as in stropping and honing. The preferred coating' metal. is nickel, although other metals such as copper, silver, or tin maybe employed, a metal capable of being applied to and united with the strip 12 by electrodeposition being preferred. The thickness of the ribbon and its coating is much exaggerated by Figure e, the aggre- ,frate thickness of the ribbon and coating being preferably not more than twice the thickness of the ribbon without the coating, although it is obvious that the coating may have any desired thickness.

The ribbon 12 is provided with means whereby it may be engaged with a holder, whereby the ribbon may be movably supported, and permitted to be iiexed by the pressure of a razor blade against it. I prefor to employ as the holder a flexible holding strip 15 of leather, or other nonmetallic material usually employed as the material of a razor strop` provided at one ondwith means, as an eyelet 16, for engagn ing a fixed support, such as a wall hook, and shaped `at the other end as a handle 17, adapted to be grasped by one hand of the user. to manually tension the holding strip.

The holding strip 15 is provided with con plinej members 18, which are oppositely proie/ting hooks secured to the holding strip, and overhanging one of its sides. The metal ribbon 12 is adapted to engage said coupling members, by slots 19 in its end portions, which are reinforced by metal layers 20, united by brazing, or otherwise, to the ribbon, said slots receiving,l the coupling members 18. The flexibility of the holding strip 'and the ribbon enables' portions ofthe ribbon containing the slots to be readily engaged with the coupling members. The couplings tension the ribbon when the holding strip is manually tensioned.

I find that when the coating 13 is smooth and polished, it constitutes an excellent surface for stropping a razor, the cutting edge being the rear edge when the blade is moved over the coating, and for honing a razor, the cutting edge being the forward edge, when the blade is moved over the coating. I finish the coating 13 at each side of the ribbon 12,Y by bufling and polishing the coating, to render the same smooth and lustrous. Y I find that a perfect edge may be produced on a razor which is not in need of a stone hone, by giving the razor first, a few honing strokes andV then a few preliminary stropping strokes on the metallic ribbon, and then a few final stropping strokes on the nonmetallic holding` strip l5.

Then the coating at one side of the metal ribbon has been rendered useless by wear, the ribbon may be. removed, reversed side for side, and again applied, the acting coating being` thus renewed.

The combination of the resilient ribbon of hard metal, having a coating of softer metal, and a non-metallic strip adapted to finish the edge imparted by the metallic ribbon, provides a sharpening instrumentality which is a marked improvement over any for a similar purpose, of which I am aware.

The metallic ribbon takes the place of the strip of canvas commonly used beside a strip of leather in a razor strop, and is much more effective than canvas, because it isfadapted both for the honing and for preliminary stropping.

The vholding strip 1.5 is preferably composed entirely of leather.

I do not limit myself to a Sharpener in which the metallic ribbon is provided on both sides with a soft metal coating. The ribon may be faced with soft metal on one side only, and its end portions may be riveted to the holding'strip and practically inseparable therefrom. Y

The longitudinal edges 15a of the holding strip 15 may be bevelled, as shown by Figure 6, to form obtuse angles at their intersection with the outer face of the strip, and

thereby reduce liability of cutting the edge portions of said face by a razor blade. The

ribbon 12 backs the acute angles formed by said bevelled edges. The obtuse angles* are adapted to yield so that there is less liability of cutting the edge portions of the outer face of the strip 15 by a razor blade, than would be the case if thev edges 15a were at right angles to the outer face.

I claim:

1. A razor Sharpener comprising a flexie and strip constituting a flexible two part' sharpener presenting two metallic sides, each adapted for honing and for preliminary stropping and adapted to be used in terchangeably, and a non-metallic side adapted for final stropping.

2. Avrazor Sharpener comprising a flexible non-metallic holding strip adapted to be used as a finishing strop, and a resilientl sheet metal ribbon of relatively hard metal, having a coating of relatively soft metal.

andadapted to bear on one side of the hold-l ing strip, means being provided for Connecting the ribbon with the strip, said ribbon and strip constituting a Sharpener presenting a metallic side and a non-metallic side, the longitudinal edges of the non-metallic strip being bevelled to form obtuseangles at the intersection of said edges with the outerface of the strip, and acute angles at the intersection of the edges with the inner face of the strip backed by edge portions of the ribbon, the edge portions of the outer face of the strip being adapted by the form of said longitudinal edges to yield and reduce liability of cutting Said edge portions by arazor'blade. v

In testimony whereof I have afiixed my signature.

WILLIAM w. Gnavns. 

